Improvement in oil-tanks



waited States aient (dimite.

HENRY E. SNYDERl AND GEORGE Si. SNYK'DER, or WrLLI-AMSPORE AND` ANTES SNYDE n, or BLAIRSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent Naoaois, dated August 1t, 1869.

IMPRovEMENT 1N OIL-TANKS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom t't Amtl-y concern Be it known that we, HENRY F. SNYnERand GEORGE S. SNYDER, of Williamsport, in the county of Lycoming, in the' State of Pennsylvania, and ANTES SNYDER,

o'Bla-irsville, in the county of Indiana, in the State of Pennsylvania aforesaid, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Tanks, intended more especially for the bodies of railroad-cars employed in the transportation of crude petroleum; and we do hereby' declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof,

Our improvements relate to the means'for discharging the oil, and for very safely securing the discharging-apparatus against leakage, accident, or improper meddling.

We will rst proceed to describe what we consider the best means of carrying out our invention asapplied to a cylindrical tank, 'Supposed to be mounted on suitable running gear, to serve as a railroad-car, and

will afterward designate the points which we believe to be new.

The accompanying drawings form a part of thisy scale.

Similar lettters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures. Y

A is the shell of the tank, formed of boiler-iron or other suitable material. B .B1 is a hollow casting, tightly riveted or otherwise secured around a hole in the bottom of the shell A, and which presents a seat, b, for the valve. v

It is threaded around its lower end, to receive the hose, as shown in fig. 2, and is, recessed at B1 to receive the heads of screw-bolts C C', which firmly secure, by means of nuts c, a stirrnp, D, which is threaded to receive a corresponding screw-thread upon the rod E, which controls the valve.

This rod E extends down through the tank, and is embraced, at or near its upper end, within a casting, H H1, 85e., which is riveted or otherwise tightly fixed around a hole in the top of the tank.

A little below the head E', therod E passes through a contracted portion of the-casting H, indicated by H1.

Below this, it passes through a stut'ting-box,'H, tightened by.adjusting a gland in the ordinarymanner.

The lhead E', which is larger than the main cylindrtf The rod E is necessarily insertedfrom the top, and v the stuiing-box is packed after the rod is inserted.

It will be seen, by a brief inspection of the drawing, that the valve is opened by turning the rod E in one direction, and is closed by turning the same rod in the.

opposite direction, and that by reason of the head E being enclosed within a' portion, H",'ot` the casting H, which is a little larger than the head E', it is impossible to operate the valve, except by first removing the cap I, and then introducing a wrench or key, which is very carefullyfitted to perform this duty. It must be adapted to match on the head E', and it must also be suiciently small to apply within the contracted interior of the enclosing casting.

The proper officers only are provided with such keys, and other parties cannot operate the valve, .even it' they obtain access to the cars.

It is necessary to provide for a number of contingencies and conditions, the importance of which will he appreciated by those in the business.

First, the springing of the tank, and particularly lwhen only partially filled with oil and subjected to irregular and surging motions, renders it imperative that the valve shall have slack, and not be lifted o" its seat except when desired.

' It is also important to close the locking-devices as much as possible within the tank, to provide for the easy removal of the parts for repairs, and especially to provide against great loss of the fluid, in consequence of .any small leakage ofthe valve.

.It is also important that all the operations from the outside may be properly effected by ignorant and only ordinarily skilful persons; also, that while the valve has slack, the rod should be packed so as to prevent the escape of gas. This, when allowed to escape, settles around the tank, and explodes on coming in contact with a light. v

We arrest the fluid which leaks past the valve by means of a tight-fitting cap, L. This lits on the threaded portion of the casting B, in the same manneras the coupling of 'the hose, and

is provided with a swivelling-piece, l, and is secured by a chain, I', and thus insured against loss when removed. A

The cap L carries a set-screw, m, which is set up against the casting B, above the screw-thread b and A'thus holds the whole very'rmly after the cap is tightJ ened.

lt is very important that the part B, against which this set-screw is tightened, should be larger than the screw-thread, so that as soon as the set-screw m is vslackened sufficiently to allow the cap to be turned, the cap may be turned quite ott without further draw- 'ingr back ot' the set-screw. XVithout this precaution the screw would soon be injured, through unskilful manipulation.

The securing eiiected by setting the screw m tightlyr against the enlarged surface B may be in part accomplished, but in a much inferior manuel', by providing teeth on the cap L, and a pawl fastened to the casting B, or in various other ways, if preferred.

It will be understood that the'lcwer end of the casting B is smoothlyfinished, and that the interior ot' the capL carries a ring, of rubber or other-suitable material, to form a perfectly, tight joint therewith.

We ninke the casting-B of considerable depth, as indicated, and, by making the valve conical and hollow, are able to extend the rod E down in the hollow interior, so as to form a bearing near the apex or lower point of the inverted cone.

The force employed to press the valve to its seat being applied. at this point, below the bearing-surface of the valve, tends always to -force the valve to a correct and fair bearing, and to avoid the tendency which might otherwise be developed, to tilt or incline in various directions, and thus become deranged and leaky.

The main body of the valve is indicated by G.

The seat, which is very carefully groundand iitted, is indicated by y; four wings, which assist in guiding it, by G; the seat which receives the downward thru-sting pressure of the rod E by G2; the top of the main part by G*; and the peculiarlyllbrmed hole therein by G3; a separate piece, bolted on the top, by G4; and a peculiar hole therein by G5; and the parts are held together by bolts Gf.

The screw-thread e takeshold of the valve, to raise it, through the medium of apeculiar thimble, N N1 N2.

The extreme lower end of the rod Eis turned smaller than the part e, which is threaded for the stirrup D, and is provided with a screw-thread, c', cut in the reverse direction to the main screw-thread e, which operates the valve. The thimble N is fitted on this small screw-thread e', and is set up tightly on the rod E, so as to operate as a. part of the same. In other words, the thirnble 'N N1 N2 turns with the rod E, and operates in ally respects as a part thereof.

v Its upper end is made of au angular' form, to aid in applying it on the rod E. It also enables one to screw it up tight against the shoulder, without taking anything apart, should it by any means become loose.

Its centre is made small, to run in the valve,

Its lower end, N 2,. is enlarged, and, by applying under the part G* ofthe valve, lifts the latter off its seat, to discharge the oil when required.

This thimble, by reason of the difference in the direction of the two screws, will never be screwed ofi" in the ordinary use of the valve.

Should the valve stick in raising, soas to press suf"- ciently on the thimble to pause the rod to turn in it, the tendency will be to tighten instead of loosening it.

. In closing the valve, the pressure being at-G'l, at the end ofthe rod, and not at the thimble, there will never be suiieient pressure to turn the rod.

The peculiar holes G3 and G5, in the parts G* and.

G*, allow the parts to be applied together.

'.lhe operation of applying them will be readilyunderstood by good mechanics. A

The bolts G5 being removed, the part G* is displaced laterally, on the main part of the valve, until the largest part of the holes G3 and G5 coincide.

In this position the head N2 of the thimble is inserted, and afterward the top plate Gi, being moved laterally to its proper position, and the bolts lr6 being inserted and turned down tightly, the whole is in place ready t'o serve, as above described, for an indefinite period.

It will be observed that these parts cannot be put together or taken apart, except by a man in the interior of the tank, who enters through a 1nan-l1ole, not represented, and can effect these operations at any time when the tank is empty.

By inserting the heads of the bolts C in the recesses cored in the casting B, as represented, we are epabled to connect the stirrnp D very strongly and conveniently, without increasing the number of holes or points at which the tank may leak. And by making'the entire stirrnp D and its connections smaller' than the casting B, and riveting the latter entirely outside of the lstirrup, we are able to insert and remove the whole together. A

Having now-fully described our invention,

' That we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

l. 4Ve claim the locking-meansfm, in combination with the cap L, attachments l l', cast-ing B, and valve G, and arranged to operate therewith, substantially as and for the purposes hereinspecified.

2. XVe claim the tank A, valve G Gi", rodE, screw thread e, and stirrup or yoke D, combined and arranged substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. Te claim the hollow interior ofthe valve G, extended downward, and with it the bearing-point g, for the operating-rod E, below the bearing-surface or seat g, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.

4. We claim the within-describedconstruction and arrangement of the yoke or stirrup D, and casting B, with their attachments, so'that those parts may be inf serted and removed together', as and for the purposes herein specied.

5. XVe claim the-enlarged head E, on the rod E, enclosed in the casting H H1, combined and arranged with the tank A, 'and valve G Gt, to secure the c ontents still further against improper meddling, substautia-ily in the manner 'and for the purposes herein set forth.

(i. `Te claim the top cap I, spring J, and loose connection K, constructed and' arranged as represented, relatively to the casting H Hl, head E', rod E, valve G Gt, and tank A, for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our naines, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

H. F. SNYDER.

G. S. SNYDER.

Witnesses: l \NTES SNYDER.

'l. C. Romans, H. D. Helsen, WM. RANsoN, 1i. B. McCain-1. 

